Kazakhstan

From west to east, the country of Kazakhstan stretches from the salty Caspian Sea to the soaring Altai Mountains. In the north are high, grassy plains called steppes and in the south – arid and sandy deserts. Kazakhstan has bitterly cold winters and long hot summers.

The native Kazakh people are descended from the Turkic and Mongol invaders of the past. For centuries they were nomads, roaming the plains with their herds of meat milk, wool, and even an alcoholic drink called kumis made from fermented mare’s milk. Traditional livestock herding continues, but many people now work on...